This is the first question Hiten Shah will ask you if you ever ask him for advice.
It’s a good question.
Your goals should be what you work towards. Every decision you make should be attempting to meet one of your goals.
I’ve been pondering what my goals should be for my entire life. I’m still not sure what the answer is.
Your goal can be anything. For some people, it’s having a cushy job so they can be home early with their family. For others, it’s to be a big movie star. Others want to make a ton of money so they put in 80+ hour work weeks on wall street. There’s an infinite amount of goals. You need to determine what matters to you.
Since I was little, I’ve always thought that I could be anything. I could be a movie star, a business man, a stay at home father, a musician. I’ve thought about the pros and cons of all possible futures. I never decided a path to pursue. I think I’m on the business path if anything, but I haven’t succeeded at it.
In fact, I may be further away than I was five years ago. Five years ago I was trying to start a company. Today, I’m more of a developer than a business guy. I’m currently working as a developer at a financial company. Although I’m a better developer today, I’m further away from my goal.
That brings me back to my original question… what exactly is my goal? What matters to me?
Freedom is what I’m after. I want the freedom to not go into the same office every day. I want the freedom to be able to take a weekend trip to Paris with my wife for no reason. I want the freedom to take time off to see my future son perform a play at school without having to ask for permission. I want the freedom to take my parents on a trip to Italy for no reason but to try some real Italian pasta. I want that freedom.
That’s my goal. Now… how do I get there?